Folding machine



Dec. 24, 1929. CASHMAN 1,740,454

FOLDING MACHINE Filed June 8, 1923 iii Patented Dec. 24-, 1929 I mean earnr retort ANDREVT A. CASEIVIAN, OF HAVER-EILL, MASSACHUSETTS, AESIGNOR, BY lIIESNE AS- fiIGNlVIENTEi, TO UNITED SHOE IJIACHINERY CURPORA'IIGN, OF EATER-SUN, NEW JERSEY, A GOR'PORATIGN (3F NEW JERBEY FOLDING Application filed June 8,

This invention relates to folding machines and is herein illustrated as embodied in a machine for folding the margins of pieces of sheet material which are to be used in the manufacture of boots and shoes.

For convenience, the invention will be described in connection with the folding of French binding. In the manufacture of boots and shots it is common to stitch to a piece of the upper leather, for example a vamp, a strip of fabric, to apply cement either to the strip of fabric or to the margin of the leather or to both, and then to fold the free portion. of the strip over the edge of the leather and press it down upon the margin of the leather, the re sultant product being known to the trade as a French edge. In order to produce a satisfactory edge it is essential that the binding strip be drawn tightly over the edge of the leather; and the general object of the present invention is to provide mechanism for performing this and similar operations.

In the folding of French binding it is customary to use leather folding machines spc cially fitted in certain particulars. in all such machines, however, the margin of the material to be operated upon (in the case of French binding the free portion of the strip of fabric which has been preliminarily pulled out) is first bent at an angle to the body portion of the material and then this bent margin is engaged by a fold presser or hammer and bent still further so as to carry it over upon the leather, which constitutes in this instance the body portion of the material; and although this general construction produces work which has been considered satisfactory enough to be widely used, the finished edge is not always as smooth and tightly drawn as it might be.

According to one feature of the invention, novel and improved means are provided for engaging the margin to be folded during the folding thereof to pull it tightly about the edge of the work so that the finished edge will be smooth and tightly drawn. Preferably a sharply toothed member is provided which is adapted to penetrate the margin and thus engage it securely without possibility of slipping during the folding thereof. In the MACHINE 1923. Serial No. 644,250.

illustrative machine, this toothed member is resilient and is carried by the fold presser.

This and other features of the invention, including certain details of construction and combinations of parts, will be d scribed as embodied in an illustrative machine and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective of a portion of a machine in which the present invention is embodied.

Fig. 2 is a perspective of a portion of the fold presser or hammer, together with the toothed resilient member.

Fig. 3 is a detail partly in elevation and partly in section showing a piece of material in process of being operated upon.

Fig. at shows in sect-ion a piece of leather having stitched thereto a strip of fabric binding.

Fig. 5 shows the same piece of work or material after the binding has been pulled out preparatory to presenting the material to the illustrative machine; and

Fig. 6 shows the material after it has been operated upon.

Before proceeding to describe the improvement of the present invention, a brief c escription of What is 'old will be given. The machine comprises a base (not shown) having a horizontally extending arm 5 of comparatively small cross-section and located six inches or so above the top of the bench upon which the base is mounted so that the inside edge of a closed vamp may be operated upon. Carried by this arm is a fold presser or hammer 7 pivoted at 9 to a bracket 11 which is integral with a sleeve 13. The hammer 7 has a depending tail pivoted at 15 to a rod 17 so that when the rod is reciprocated in the direction of its length, the hammer is oscillated about the pivot 9. Fast to the outer end of the bracket 11 is an anvil 19 having an inclined operative work-engaging face with which a complementally inclined face on the hammer cooperates. In the operation of the machine the sleeve 13 is rocked about its axis and the rod 17 is reciprocated in the manner which has been indicated above, the rocking and recipi'ocation being so timed that first the hammer descends to grip the work against the anvil, then the two members are rocked about the axis of the sleeve 13 to feed the work, then the hammer rises to release the work, and finally the two members are rocked back to initial position, thus completing the cycle. Before the sheet material reaches the hammer and anvil its margin has been bent upwardly so that, when the hammer descends, it carries this upwardly bent margin over upon the bod portion of the material. The material is "ed over a plate 21 beneath a presser-foot 23, carried yieldingly by an upper horizontal arm 24, and past a plow 25 which imparts a preliminary upward bend to the margin of the material. As the material passes beneath the presser-foot, a finger 27 rises to increase the preliminary bend so that the margin is bent slightly more than ninety degrees. In this condition the material reaches the hammer which acts, as has been described, to carry the bent margin over upon the body of the material and then to feed the material. The machine as thus far described is or may be substantially the same as that shown in the patent to Glass No. 1,102,4295, to which reference is made for further description. The illustrative machine is fitted for folding French binding and is for this reason equipped with a finger 29 adapted to extend into the angle at the junction of the leather and the strip of fabric and thereby to guide the material by engagement with the edge of the leather, such a finger being shown in the patent to McIntire No. 1,278,490.

The'machine, as thus far described, is old, and no further description of it will be given, It will be understood, however, that the material is fed intermittently into position to be operated upon, and that progressively the margin is first bent upwardly and then laid over upon the body portion of the material. It should also be understood that the particular type of machine shown, in which the material is fed progressively by a hammer which also presses the fold and in which a movable finger 27 aids in bending the margin of the material, has been chosen purely for convenience and that the particular type of folding machine is immaterial in the broader aspects of the invention.

It will be noted that the hammer moves not only downwardly but forwardly so as to draw the margin over the body portion of the material as well as to press it into place. In order to increase this drawing efiectthe present machine is provided with means for firmly engaging the u wardly bent margin. In the illustrative machine this means takes the form of a thin member 31 of resilient material having a portion extending adjacent to the operative face of the hammer and being provided at its outer end with teeth 33.- The other end of the resilient member is bent about the rear of the hammer and fastened to the hammer by a screw 35. lVhen, therefore, the hammer moves downwardly and forwardly these teeth penetrate the upwardly bent margin, thus obtaining a firm hold upon it and causing it to be drawn firmly into place.

As has been stated, the machine is particularly adapted to the folding of French binding. Preparatory to presenting the material to the present machine, the fabric bind ing 200 is first stitched to the leather 100 as shown in Figure 4 and then the free portion of the binding is pulled out into substantially the position shown in Figure 5 wherein the margin of the material is constituted by the projecting portion of the binding. As the material is fed through the machine, the plow 25 and finger 27 bend the binding upwardly; and, as the hammer swings downwardly and forwardly, the teeth of the member 33 penetrate the binding strip near its outer edge and carry it over upon the leather which, in this case, constitutes the body portion of the material. By engaging the fabric binding in this manner, the binding may be drawn more tightly about the edge of the leather than was formerly possible.

Although the invention has been set forth as embodied in. a particular type of folding machine designed to operate upon a particular kind of material, it should be understood that the invention is not limited in the scope of its application either to the particular type of machine or to operating upon the particular kind of material.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A machine of the class described ing, in combination, a support for a piece of sheet material, means for imparting a bend to the margin thereof, a, yielding member, and means for causing said member to penetrate the margin and carry it over upon the body of the material.

2. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a support for a piece of sheet material, means for imparting a bend to the margin thereof, a toothed member, and means for causing said member to penetrate the bent margin and carry it over upon the body of the material.

3. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a support for a piece of sheet material, means for imparting a bend to the margin thereof, a resilient toothed memher, and means for causing said member to penetrate the bent margin and carry it over upon the body of the material.

4. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a support for a piece of sheet material, means for imparting a bend to the margin thereof, a. presser, a toothed member carried by the presser, and means for causing the toothed member to penetrate the bent havmargin and carry it over upon the body of the material.

5. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a support for a piece of sheet material, means for imparting a bend to the margin thereof, a presser, a resilient toothed member carried by the presser, and means for causing the toothed member to penetrate the bent margin and carry it over upon the body of the material.

0. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a support'for a piece of sheet material, means for imparting a bend to the margin thereof, a presser, a resilient toothed member extending adjacent to the operative face of the presser and arranged to engage the bent-up margin of the work before said margin is engaged by the presser, and means for operating said presser.

7. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a support for a piece of sheet material, means for feeding the material over the support, means for progressively imparting a bend to the margin of the material, a yielding member and means for causing said member to penetrate the bent margin and carry it over upon the body portion of the material.

8. A machine for folding the margin of a piece of sheet material over upon the body portion thereof, having, in combination, feeding and margin-bending mechanism, a fold presser and a resilient member carried by the presser and provided with means for engaging the bent margin.

9. A machine for folding the margin of a piece of sheet material over upon the body portion thereof, having, in combination, feeding and margin-bending mechanism, a fold presser and a resilient member carried by the presser and provided with means for penetrating the bent margin.

10. A machine of the class described having, in combination, means for feeding a piece of sheet material into position to be operated upon, means for imparting to the margin. of the material a bend, and a fold-presser and a toothed member carried thereby for engaging the bent margin and pressing it upon the body portion of the material.

11. A machine of the class described having, in combination, means for feeding a piece of sheet material into position to be operated upon, means for imparting to the margin of the material a bend, and a fold-presserand a resilient toothed member carried there by for engaging the bent margin and pressing it upon the body portion of the material.

12. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a support over which a piece of sheet material is fed, means for progressively bending the margin of the material into a position at an angle to the body portion thereof, and means for pressing the bent margin over upon the body portion of the material, said last-named means including a hammer and a member carried thereby and provided with means for penetrating the margin.

13. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a support over which a piece of sheet material is fed, means for progressively bending the margin of the ma terial into a position at an angle to the body portion thereof, and means for pressing the bent margin over upon the body portion of the material, said last-named means including a hammer and a resilient member carried thereby and provided with means for penetrating the margin.

14. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a support for a piece of sheet material, means for feeding the material intermittently over the support, means for imparting a bend to the margin of the mate-rial, a presser, a resilient member carried by the presser and having a portion adapted to engage the bent margin, and means operating during the pauses in the intermittent feed movements for operating the presser.

15. A machine for operating upon a piece of material consisting of a piece of leather to which a strip of fabric is attached having, in combination, a support for the material, means for imparting a bend to the margin of the material, a toothed member, and means for causing the toothed member to penetrate the fabric and pull it over the body of the material.

16. A machine of the class described having, in combination, work feeding mech anism, fold forming mechanism, a fold presser, and a member carried by the fold presser, said member having a sharp tooth arranged to engage the folded-overmargin of the work.

17. A machine of the class described having, in combination, work feeding mecha nism, fold forming mechanism, a fold presser, and a thin, flat, member car-ried by the fold presser, said member having a sharp tooth arranged to engage the folded-over margin of the work.

18. A machine of the class described having, in combination, work feeding mechanism, fold forming mechanism, a fold presser, and a thin, flat, resilient, member carried by the fold presser, said member having a sharp tooth arranged to engage the folded-over margin of the work.

19. A machine for operating upon a piece of Work consisting of a piece of sheet material to which a strip of binding is attached having, in combination, means for feeding the work and means for drawing the free portion of the binding about the edge of the material and for laying the free portion over upon the body portion of the material,

said last-named means comprising a pointed member adapted to penetrate the binding.

20. A machine for operating upon a piece of work consisting of a piece of sheet material to which a strip of binding is attached having, in combination, means for feeding the work and a member adapted to engage the binding and pull it tightly about the edge of the material, said member having a sharp prong for piercing and thus securely engaging the binding.

21. A machine for operating upon a piece of work consisting of a piece of sheet material to'which a strip of binding is attached, having in combination, a support over which the work is fed intermittently, means for progressively imparting an upward bend to the binding strip, a hammer, means for oscillatin'g the hammer in a path the plane of which is substantially transverse to the direction of feed movement of the work, and a member carried by the hammer for engaging the upwardly bent strip and carrying it over upon the sheet material, said member having a roughened operative portion which is movable with respect to the hammer;

22. A machine for operating upon a piece of work consisting of a piece of sheet material to which a strip of binding has been attached, having in combination, means for feeding the work and means for pulling the free portion of the binding about the edge of the material and laying it down upon the body portion of the material, said last-named means comprising a hammer movable clownwardly and at the same time transversely with respect to the edge of the material so as to swing the binding about the edge of the material and a member mounted on the hammer and having a broken operative surface to engage the binding.

23. A machine for operating upon a piece of work consisting of a piece of sheet material to which a strip of binding has been attached, having in combination, a support for a piece of sheet material, means for imparting a bend to the margin thereof, a hammer for pressing the bend into a fold and a resilient toothed member carried by and 6X tending vbeneath the hammer.

24. A machine for operating upon a piece of work consisting of a piece of sheet material to which a strip of binding is attached, having in combination, a support for a piece of sheet material, means for imparting a bend to the margin thereof, a hammer for pressing the bend into a fold, and a resilient toothed member through which the hammer acts.

In testimony whereofl have signed my name to this specification.

ANDREW A. OASHMAN. 

